30 Kisses: Meilin x Touya
by TheYellowKirby
Summary: A series of fictions for the LiveJournal community, 30 kisses. I chose to set my focus on the touch of the lips while two hearts intertwine for the briefest of moments for Meilin Li and Touya Kinomoto. Fifth Kiss occurs 12 August, 2007
1. The Color That She Is

Thirty Kisses: Meilin Li and Touya Kinomoto

Written by: Ciuline Ihmenjo

Card Captor Sakura does not belong to me. The characters in Card Captor Sakura do not belong to me. CLAMP owns CCS. Besides, even if you do try and sue me, I have no money.

_From Start…_

I thought that I'd try my hand at the unique fiction style at 30kisses. This is my tribute to those non-cannon couples who often are glossed over in favor of the 'major' couples within anime or books.

Between this… my writer's block for Fallen Neo… and especially school, I'm beginning to think I have too much on my plate.

**o()o The Color that She Is o()o**

_**30 Kisses Theme: Red**_

She is the color red. It flows through her veins, not as the color of her blood, but as the color of her soul.

Sans the fact that it is the color of her eyes as well as the fact that it saturates every section of her wardrobe, it suits her well. Red is her favorite color, and she wears it all too well. Her entire being screams any imaginable shade of the vibrant color. It is the frustration over the boyfriends who abandoned her. It is the anger at her own inadequacy in the eyes of the clan that she was born into. It is the aura of every little nuance about her. She bleeds the color in not only a literal sense but also a figurative one.

She is not the color green. The color green is of her opposite. At the same time, when her red and his green collide, or are even juxtaposed in the slightest, they seem to make each other that much more. Like the colors themselves, they compliment each other beautifully. It is one of the few times I appreciate having the gaki around.

Green is the color of the one whom she feels abandoned her. Green is the color that closed her heart.

She claimed to hate her association with the color red because of Sakura and the close approximation to the color most associated with my sister. But, over time, she had begun to have an odd sort of affection for Sakura. Sakura is the color pink, at least, she is mostly pink. Sakura is a color all of her own. Of course, their association was little more than a rivalry that eventually became a friendship. Inklings of the gaki's original situation came to mind.

Of course, at the moment, I'm not focusing on those feelings and emotions, nor am I worrying about the color of her interior, but rather at the lovely exterior that was sitting before me. She is seated across the table, her hands folded politely on the worn surface.

"Kinomoto," she asks, irritation creeping into her voice, "did you hear me?"

It is enough to snap me out of my (somewhat) color-induced stupor. "What?"

She shakes her head, rolling her eyes. They are the most brilliant red. "Have you even heard a single word of what I just said?"

"Not really?" I reply truthfully.

"We're meeting to try and plan some of your own sister's wedding and you aren't listing to anything about the actual plans."

"I'm concentrating on other things," I murmur.

"Things such as your snow bunny?" She takes a sip of her drink. The loud slurping noise startles her, and she begins clinking ice together with her straw.

"Things such as, but not including Yukito," I responded, wondering why my words jumbled out like that. Yukito was no longer a factor in anything. He was off in England. We had agreed it was time to try it apart. Of course, at that time, neither he nor I had any idea who we'd find to fill ourselves once more; though, I suspected England held something that would aid him in his endeavors, just as he had conveyed the thoughts – from meddling Kaho – that Japan held something that would eventually aid me.

"That doesn't really make sense." She frowns, playing with her drink again before looking at me. "Why didn't we just get Tomoyo to do this?" she asks with a frustrated sigh. "She loves this sort of stuff. She did it for her wedding. It was all lavender themed. Of course, by the end of the affair, I think Eriol was ready to kill her." She pauses thoughtfully as a stupid grin plasters itself across my face. "What's that about?"

"Something about Hirigizawa and violence," I mutter.

"Honestly, I don't understand you nor Syaoran." She shakes her head. "Still, even with all of the little nuances, Tomoyo did an amazing job with it."

"Yes, but Sakura feels like she would be a burden to Tomoyo." Personally, I scoff at the idea of my sister taking on this entire project with only Syaoran to keep her sane. He hadn't been performing that task too well. Even then, I don't think the wedding preparations were moving along too smoothly. I know, just as well as Meilin does, that Sakura has too much stubborn pride to actually allow Tomoyo to do any of the planning.

"Well, I feel like she's being a burden to us."

"Touché," I said with a smile.

"Can't we just secretly go to Tomoyo and ask her to help us?" She flops back against the booth and covers her hands on her face, bringing them up to brush a few stray hairs from her eyes. I can hear a few tinny pops as she stretches her arms out wide.

"If it gets back to Sakura," I begin as she rights herself in the seat, "it would mean hell for the two of us."

"I'd rather face the wrath of Sakura than have to worry about what color to use as a theme the invitations or what would make the most affordable location while still remaining agreeable for all the guests."

"Well, you did agree to help because your poor _gaki_ is about to faint from exhaustion."

"He is not a _gaki_!" she protests loudly. A few of the customers turn in our direction and she sinks down – and out of sight – into her chair.

I chuckle. She shoots a piercing glare in my direction. That is followed by a flurry of ice cubes. I manage to fend off most of her attack with my arm. "Personally, I don't think any of these silly preparations should really matter," I respond, brushing water from my face and patting my sleeve dry with a fistful of napkins.

"Yes, but you're not a female," she responds with a smug grin. "There are just certain things that must be done in order to seal the fact you will spend eternity with this one person."

"Then, at least Sakura should give this to someone who knows her better."

"Ah," she waggles a finger in the space between us, "but who knows her better than her own brother?"

"She hid so much from me when she was doing her magic adventure, and she's tried to keep me so far away from all of that side of her life. I'm not quite certain how well I know her."

"That's beside the point," she says. "If she trusts you with decisions for her wedding, I'm sure you know her just fine." A faint smile dances over her features. "When I have my wedding, it's just going to be us walking down the isle, you kiss the bride – me of course, and then we all go to a reception and eat cake."

_All weddings should be that simple_, I muse. The wording of her statement sparks the little mischief demon whispering in my ear. _You kiss the bride…_ The wheels, which I wouldn't be able to stop from grinding if I tried, begin to turn and the little demon begins to chant his mantra faster and faster.

"So, what you're saying is that I would kiss you?" I tease her. She flushes bright red, which isn't exactly the sort of response I expected from her.

"N-n-no!" she stammers, suddenly very interested in the ice lining the bottom of her cup.

"We could practice," I continue and she nearly drops her cup. The slip is easily noticed. "You know how the old saying goes… practice makes perfect."

"That would be nice," she whispers as I take a sip of my coffee.

The comment catches me completely off guard. I nearly spray a mouthful of liquid across the table. Instead, I audibly choke on a mouthful of lukewarm coffee. Sputtering helplessly, I watch as her nervous and shy demeanor dissolves in a fit of laughter.

"Excuse me?" I manage to ask after regaining my composure. Locating my misplaced dignity does not come so easily.

"You just looked silly," she replies.

"I nearly just choked to death," I mutter. "And you're dodging the question."

"What question?" she asks innocently and motions the waiter over to refill her glass.

"Li," I scrunched my face up, setting her into another fit of giggles – the opposite effect of what I was trying to achieve, "you're treading dangerous waters."

"I like it better when you call me Meilin."

"Fine, then…" I place my mug on the table with more than the necessary force. A tremor passes up my arm and she snorts with repressed laughter. I just glare. "Meilin," I say testily, "you are treading dangerous waters."

"You really do look silly," she says and leans across the table, a napkin in one hand. "Though, coffee just doesn't suit your face."

She dabs at my face and out of some strange compulsion, I find her wrist in my hand. Her expression begins as startled before shifting to meek surprise. In that moment, I understand her timidity. I pull her towards me. Willingly, she follows.

We then realize the awkwardness of our situation. She stares down at the table beneath. I stare at her legs, straining to keep her body upright. I nearly collapse into a fit of laugher. She, instead, smiles, cupping my cheek in her free hand and leaning forward to touch her lips to mine. I immediately drop her wrist. My eyes bug out for a moment and then I'm lost in her unique color. Red blurs my vision.

She pulls away after an eternity of only a brief few seconds. Her face is flushed and her breath comes in a few short gasps before she pushes her body back into her seat. I'm speechless and she giggles again. She settles back into the seat and becomes all business as if nothing had happened at all.

"Um," I manage, trying to find my words.

"We were talking about the invitations…" she says, staring down at the catalogue on the table.

"What do we consider that?" I interrupt. "You can't just dismiss that as nothing."

She looks up. "Consider that a practice run," she replies with a mischievous grin. "We can work on the real thing at our own leisure.

_To Finish…_

Not my best work, surely, but I'll get around to that once I actually write more and more for this couple. I really do pity the fact that no one seems to support the non-canonical couples. It's sad, really.

See you next update: _Ciuline_ _Ihmenjo_


	2. If I Could Only Say I Love You

Thirty Kisses: Meilin Li and Touya Kinomoto

Written by: Ciuline Ihmenjo

Card Captor Sakura does not belong to me. The characters in Card Captor Sakura do not belong to me. CLAMP owns CCS. Besides, even if you do try and sue me, I have no money.

_From Start…_

Just in case no one knows, since I think it is best left unsaid in the story, the gardenia signifies a secret love.

Please don't expect any continuity in my stories. These are 30 kisses. Thirty different themes. Thirty ways to show love and endearment. And a kiss is never the same

**o()o If I Could Only Say I Love You o()o**

_**30 Kisses Theme: Gardenia**_

The language of flowers is a delicate one indeed. Flowers do make one of the easiest possible gifts. It is astonishing that such a seemingly insignificant gesture can say so many words at once. A rose by any other color could spell the difference between friendship and love. Perhaps, it is the best way to show someone exactly what you feel for that person.

I'd love to stand at your doorstep with a bouquet of red roses, but I lack the courage to actually do so. Besides, isn't that the job of the male to do that sort of sappy romantic gesture?

Instead, I'm forced to keep laying these silly flowers on your doorstep.

Your sister has told me that you were perplexed at first. She says that you did not understand and that she didn't understand either. Of course, she couldn't know that it was me. Perhaps, deep down, she had realized something, but I think she would not betray my confidence in her in such a manner. She explains how you had even thrown my well-planned gift in the trash at first. It was what I expected. I had almost tuned her out.

_Meilin-chan, do you really think that white goes well with that table?_

_White… table…?_

_Yes, do you think a vase of white flowers really goes with that table?_

Astonishment crossed my face before I realized I was not in private. I quickly schooled my features into solemn thought, praying no one caught the slight slip. Of course, Tomoyo slipped me a knowing glance, but she quickly began to detail the best ways to bring out mahogany with white flowers and the proper-colored vase.

Why would you keep something so trivial if you don't understand the meaning? I find myself asking this over and over in my head. Perhaps I could understand better if I asked you myself, but again, I don't have the courage. Do you understand what I'm trying to say with this simple gesture? Every Sunday I study with your sister. Every Sunday, I return for the briefest of moments to lay one of those silly flowers on your front mat, a single ribbon tied about it in the most brilliant blue. I continue to send my complexly simple messages hidden in white petals. Because I'm too afraid to admit that I am too weak to express my own feelings.

Syaoran thought me silly. Even I thought myself that I was being silly, but he understood. Of course, he didn't find out until trailing me one night. That, though, is beside the point and perhaps best to save for another story and another time.

Gardenias would cost a pretty penny if I hadn't decided to take up gardening. I found the flowers were easy to grow under Wei's strict tutelage. He found it strange that I only wanted to grow such a challenging flower. Instead of trying to dissuade me, he guided me along until my room reeked not of potting soil and dying flora but of the sweet scent of bloom.

Which brings me to this night. To this doorstep. To the flower clutched in my trembling hands. And the open door in front on my face. The shocked look in your eyes.

"Li?" you ask, taking a couple of hesitant steps into the night air.

"Kinomoto," I reply. My feet carry me backwards in sync with your two steps out the door. I cannot help the sharp intake of air as my heart begins pounding in my ears. It beats even faster, and I'm so afraid you will hear it.

"Are you okay?"

I nod, trying not to shake myself through the front porch.

"Did you forget something?

I shake my head. "I… I had to talk to Sakura about something."

"Sakura went out with Syaoran a little while ago. Didn't you know?"

"Oh. Um… yeah." I take another step back as you extend a hand towards me. "Nevermind."

"I'm not going to bite." Your hand stretches further toward me. "It's freezing outside. Why not come inside?"

I shake my head vehemently. You take another step forwards. My feet send me backwards just as quickly. My back presses into the post supporting the overhang covering your porch. Suddenly, though, I can see past you. The light blue vase and the brilliant white blossoms within. My knees shake and I drop my precious cargo to the ground.

You follow it with your eyes and then settle your gaze on me. Suddenly, my feet are trying to go every direction all at the same time. And then, everything shifts. I can feel the porch against my knees. You are above me. You're so high in the air. I just can't seem to bring myself to my feet.

"Did you want to add that to the vase?" you ask softly.

"Kinomoto," I whisper, trying to stave the tears in my eyes. You aren't supposed to find out. You aren't supposed to know. Not this way.

You step towards me and I can only watch as you stoop down to pick up the flower. "I think I can understand this well enough," you say softly.

"Please, Kinomoto…"

You turn to me, extending a hand. Somehow, your eyes say that everything will be all right. In my petrified state, I can do little more than watch as you pull me to my feet. My knees instantly turn to putty. Suddenly, my face is warm. In fact, most of my body is warm. And I'm pressed tightly into you, where, for so long, I wished I could be.

"You know, you could just say it."

I shake my head, pursing my lips tightly together.

"Then let me return the gesture." You reach down and tilt my head upwards. Question fills your eyes and then, suddenly, nothing else exists.

I try to pull away. This still doesn't feel right. It's not supposed to happen like this. You are supposed to reject me like all the rest. But you aren't. In fact, you are accepting me. I think I'm scared. I need to flee, but I can't. My body refused to obey me. As if you can sense my motives, two arms encircle my body. They trap me against your chest as you press your lips to mine.

Explosions pale in comparison to the surge of heat that courses through my veins. Seconds turn into moments. Moments turn into forever. Forever turns into the sudden need for oxygen. I pull away, gasping for breath. You only smile, almost knowingly, and hold me at arms length. Producing the gardenia from behind my back, you slip the flower into my hair. I scowl at the somewhat childish notion.

"But… my gift…"

You wink. "Bring roses next time."

_To Finish…_

Second chapter down in what seems like a rather long-ish haul. At least it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm dreading those final few chapters where I'm just almost dying trying to think of a story to match the theme.

Although, I think that I need to make these longer. They seem more vignette than actual story.

See you next update: _Ciuline Ihmenjo_


	3. The Flavor of Tears

Thirty Kisses: Meilin Li and Touya Kinomoto

Written by: Ciuline Ihmenjo

Card Captor Sakura does not belong to me. The characters in Card Captor Sakura do not belong to me. CLAMP owns CCS. Besides, even if you do try and sue me, I have no money.

_From Start…_

I hate when you are supposed to be doing something, but instead you procrastinate

**o()o The Flavor of Tears o()o**

_**30 Kisses Theme: the sound of waves**_

I can taste the salt on your lips. I can feel your arms, snaking around my neck in desperation, in longing, in need. Your eyes are closed in direct contract to my open eyes. The moonlight reflects off your slick black hair as you mash your lips harder against me. I can taste the hunger on your saliva and the bittersweet feeling of loss as your tongue cautiously, ever so gently, probes my mouth.

It is something I am unaccustomed to – how many guys have girls literally flinging themselves at them? Most of all, I just don't know how to respond. My mind is screaming _kiss her, you fool!_ At the same time, my body just won't respond.

This alien feeling alarms me at first:

Your hair cascading from your head and over our faces in dark strings…

The sand on my back…

Your cotton shirt hanging off both sides of my chest…

The light of the moon on your trembling skin…

Your arms clinging to me like I am the last thing in this world…

The water crashing against our bodies…

The footprints there only moments before are slowly erased by the rolling water. I can hear the sound of the waves breaking, crashing against each other in fury and gently pushing up the beach in a gurgling foam.

My heart, thundering in my ears, threatens to block out any other sound.

And still, you are kissing me. Needing me. Pressing into me. I can hear your nostrils flaring as you heave sobbing breaths into your lungs. I can feel the tears rolling down your cheek only to find their way into the ocean. Your eyes squeeze tighter shut when you realize that I am not as eager as you are.

"I'm sorry." The kiss, broken in an instant, feels even more awkwards than the suddenness of it all. "I'm sorry for thinking this would work… for not thinking things through." You roll quickly off my chest, awkward in your movements and emotions. Standing in the crimson bathing suit and pale blue shirt, you are vulnerable. Your heart is almost straining at the surface of your chest. "I'm sorry for tackling you. I'm sorry for kissing you. I'm sorry for screwing things up."

I cannot find words. There is nothing to be said, at least not on my part. You seem to have drained every ounce of energy from my body. Instead, I must lay silent in the sands as the ocean threatens to suck me into the beach. We stand there for an eternity, watching each other for the slightest movement. It never comes. We seem to be statues, frozen in time save for the spray of water crossing our vision as the seconds slowly trickle past.

"It's okay," I say finally, working onto my elbows. The sand has worked its way into my hair and drifts down like spatters of rain.

"I…" you choke on your sentence and pop your mouth open and shut like a fish before looking away. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I say finally. "It's not like you did anything wrong."

"Yes… no… I… never mind." You nod and then bow, moving in jittery motions.

"I'm fine," I insist, finally freeing my self from my human-shaped dent in the sand. The waves work quickly to erase the signs of my existence. "We can just forget about everything. Well, I can try to forget about everything." I flash what I hope is a comforting smile.

"I'm leaving," you announce.

I reach out and grasp your hand, slowly and gently so as not to scare you any more than you already are. Still, a tremor passes to me and your body gives a little jump at the initial contact. Your expression is steeled into force neutrality, to hide all of your emotions, but your posture and darting eyes break through the guise.

"Please," you whisper, "just let me leave."

I shake my head, but release your hand. "You're free to go but, but it's a beautiful night. The moon is out, and the waves make for great ambiance. We're out on a virtually empty beach. Let's just walk."

I am met with a stare. Disbelief is written across your features as my words penetrate your brain. You begin to back away, slowly at first and then you begin turning. Your head shakes back and forth, but your hair is sticking fast to your body, sliding back and forth along your shoulders.

"You don't need to be alone," I continue softly.

You stop. In fact, you freeze up. I'm almost scared that you aren't breathing. Jerking your head around, I can see tugging at the corners of your mouth. You wander towards me and place your head softly against my chest. I can feel your body press into me. Your legs continue moving, twitching back and forth.

"Can we just stand here?" you ask after your nervous shifting passes.

"Of course," I reply.

"Because," you look up for a moment before focusing on the round white orb, shimmering on the water, "sometimes, you just need to see the moon in the sky and hear the water rushing towards the shore to help you remember who you are." You smile, wider now. "Thank you for helping me to forget who I am not."

_To Finish…_

Okay, now that I got that damned ditty out of my head, I can finally get back to writing the essay that I **SHOULD **be writing at the moment. I just did not want to lose that idea. It was just so… well… amazing to me.

See you next update: _Ciuline_ _Ihmenjo_


	4. Where Minutes Turn to Eternity

Thirty Kisses: Meilin Li and Touya Kinomoto

Written by: Ciuline Ihmenjo

Card Captor Sakura does not belong to me. The characters in Card Captor Sakura do not belong to me. CLAMP owns CCS. Besides, even if you do try and sue me, I have no money.

_From Start…_

This is what I call "cutting the deadline very close!" I just woke up, opened my laptop, pointed my finger at a theme, and TYPED! Here's the product of sleepy fiction writing. Hopefully it's not too bad. Again, you'll have to forgive my odd writing style, but I find First/second person best to write for Touya/Meilin. I wrote Twin Strangers in it and I continue to write Covered in Rain in it, so it kind of works out in the end. Oddly enough, chapter 1 of Twin Strangers as well as chapter 1 of Covered in Rain could easily be adapted as an "emergency kiss" if necessary, but I don't believe in copping out like that.

Anyhow, please enjoy!

Also, my apologies on the title, I really couldn't think of anything else!

**o()o Where Minutes Turn to Eternity o()o**

_**30 Kisses Theme: 10**_

It did not take me a very long time to realize the no one else was coming. I felt duped. Syaoran had insisted that we meet up tonight. It would be the first chance in a long time to get the old gang back together as classes and studying kept us mercilessly apart. He knew that I would need a break as late nights of studying were starting to get to me . After all, mother would never allow me to stay in Japan if the black sheep of the family could not send home excellent marks. Part of me wished to rebel, but I feared the consequences.

Suddenly, though, I had been placed into this rather awkward situation. Part of me was insulted while another part of me screamed in jubiliation. I looked over at the only other person who had shown up on time. It was surprising that you had even been invited along, but I felt color rise to me cheeks that was not because of the night chill. I felt as if I should be shy and quiet, but it was such a clash with my normal personality that I thought you may think something was up. I'm sure that Sakura was smiling at her rather cliche planning, but I didn't want to get irritated at the catalyst to this odd sort of social reaction.

You stood there, irritation clearly etched into your face as your pursed lips began to twitch at one corner. "I can't believe her," you muttered and slapped a hand against the nearest wall. It echoed with a pop that made me jump a little.

"They're only ten minutes late." I giggled, checking my watch. "Perhaps Sakura overslept?"

"I wouldn't put it past her," you muttered. "They said 10 o'clock for coffee."

"And it's only been ten minutes," I repeated firmly. "Why don't we just wait a little while longer?"

"Because the coffee shop is only open until midnight and I don't want to be dragging a bunch of sleep-drunk teenagers back to the house." You checked your own watch and settled back against a light post. Looking at me for a moment, you sigh. "Is the ga... your cousin usually late?"

My usual retort died on my lips as you had cut your insult short. "He's," I paused, trying to figure out what had suddenly changed in you, "usually on time. Though, that seems to be happenning less and less the longer he dates your sister."

"Don't remind me."

"That they're dating?"

You looked distant for a moment before coming back to the place where we are standing. "No, that they're becoming so alike."

"You say that almost like it's a good thing." I smiled, flashing teeth before settling myself on a nearby bench.

You chuckled, "If all they get from each other is poor timing and increased awkwardness, then I think we all may be in a little trouble."

"So you're finally supporting them?"

"I've been supporting them from the start," you said softly. "I've know this moment was coming for a long time." Your gaze becomes distant again.

"This moment?" I chewed on my lower lip, trying to interpret your exact words. "You mean them dating."

"No, I mean something else," you replied cryptically. "It's been twenty minutes," you say, checking your watch again, "are you sure they said ten o'clock?"

"I'm usually starting my nightly caffeine ritual at this moment, so I'm pretty sure it's correct."

"Caffeine... ritual...?" You eyed me with a bemused expression that I didn't like in the least. "Ah, to remember those days fondly..."

"It's not like I'm doing it because I want to!" I retorted.

You reached out and ruffle my hair. The action would have floored me in quite the literal sense were I not seated. I had to place my hands on the bench to keep from sliding out of it. "Just, don't forget to get some sleep. You'll begin looking like my sister, the panda."

A cough echoed from somewhere nearby and a sudden look flashed across your face. Scanning the crowd with your eyes, you continued to talk to me. "Do you think they'll actually show up?"

"No, not really," I replied with a sigh. "Perhaps we should be getting back."

"How about we go grab some coffee on our own?"

"Coffee?" I squeaked "The two of us?" Heat suddenly warmed me to the core. I looked away for a moment until my face decided to resume its normal color.

"Yes," you smiled warmly, extending a hand "shall we?"

I tried to reach out, but the bench feel so much more secure. I heard something that barely registered in the back of my mind. Something was rustling the bushes near by. Your eyes opened slightly as you watched me with the most curious expression. Lowering your voice to a whisper, you motioned toward the bushes with a slight tilt of your head. Grabbing me by the waist, you lifted me off the bench and close to your body. The scent of peach shampoo and some strange cologne wafts to my nostril. The scent seems to paralyze me. I tense up until you lower your mouth to my ear.

"They're over there, you know."

"How many?" I managed weakly.

"I think all of them." Your voice didn't even attempt to mask the mixture of both irritation and simple amusement.

"Just Sakura and Tomoyo and Syaoran?"

"No doubt they're filming this entire encounter." A mischievous expression passed over your face. "Shall we surprise them?"

"By...?"

"Doing this." You tilted my chin upwards with one hand and, gently supporting me, lowered your lips to mine. My eyes widened for the briefest of moments before I remember that people usually closed them as I remembered in all the movies I had ever seen.

A gasp and a hastily-ceased smattering of applause came from the suspected bush along with a chorus of shushing noises. I was too lost in the moment to even pretend to hear them. I could feel your body shaking with contained laughter as you tangled your fingers in my hair. I thanked the heavens that you hadn't released me because, for the moment, you were the only thing preventing me from collapsing. It seemed my legs had suddenly forgotten the correct and proper way to work. A heartbeat turned into seconds and my body finally remembered how to work. I rose to my tiptoes and leaned into you, pressing the kiss back with fervent passion.

"You know," I heard someone chuckle from behind me, "if you keep that up, one of you may pass out."

"Lay off! You're killing the mood!" another voice chimed in, followed by what sounds suspiciously like someone's palm connecting with the back of another someone's head.

Helpless sputtering is emerging from the mouth I assumed is my dear cousin while girlish squealing was the only thing coming from your sister.

I only close my eyes and snuggle further into your embrace, no longer caring about 10 o'clock coffee and late night caffeine excursions.

_To finish..._

I still hate every one of these whenever I finish them because they just sound so... I don't know... WaFFy. I think it just might be the utter departure from my usual angst that's causing this feeling of dread within me, but I'm sure I'll figure it all out eventually.


	5. Stuck in the Middle

Thirty Kisses: Meilin Li and Touya Kinomoto

Written by: Ciuline Ihmenjo

Card Captor Sakura does not belong to me. The characters in Card Captor Sakura do not belong to me. CLAMP owns CCS. Besides, even if you do try and sue me, I have no money.

_From Start…_

I find it rather disturbing that the better of my fictions always seem to come during bouts of procrastination. I should be doing work for… erm… work at the moment, but I decided to take a lunch break. Instead, I blasted through a fiction (Argh, that hour of writing has robbed me of food!). Thankfully I changed the title… "The trouble with hard object in the mouth" just sounded much too dirty! Anywho, I'm quite pleased with this and hope it's somewhat original for the theme. After all, who chokes on a jawbreaker?

**o()o Stuck in the Middle o()o**

**_30 Kisses Theme: candy_**

There was something in your throat; I don't think now that it really matters what it was, even though I knew. If I hadn't been there that day, it would not have happened in the first place. At the same time, if I hadn't stayed, I never could have saved you.

You had been standing there look sullen and depressed. Your gaze was not for me but far in the distance. You looked east. He was east. You had given him your heart only to have him unknowingly break it.

Heartbreak is a horrible thing. I had been thinking just the same as I rounded to corner to see a flash of crimson and hair the color of the darkest midnight.

And you turned to me, a box in one hand and a blank look on the other. The blank look changed first to surprise and then to panic.

I think I startled you, which brings us to the loud coughing and flurry of hands. You make a funny noise and flail wildly again. If only you would put your hands at your throat, my mind would understand what's going on. I'm afraid my senses are a bit dulled in matters of life and death.

Instead, I look in all directions, trying to figure out what exactly had caught your attention. You gasp and suddenly you are fluttering towards me. It's almost like the wind is carrying you. I suppose it is, for you're a ghastly shade of a color humans should not be. And then it hits me about the same time you flop against my body.

"Meilin!" I manage before patting you hard on the back. One arm supports you gently while the other pounds against your spinal cord. You cough once, loudly and resume your journey through the rainbow of anoxia. A slight squeak emerges from your mouth as I smack my hand against your body right below your shoulder blades. Your face turns from a blue-ish tint to a more pleasant red one. Maybe it was purple. I'm too distressed to really care about colors. I suppose, you might be distressed as well, but the fifth… or seventh… or maybe it was the third… pass of my hand yields results. Something brightly colored flies from your mouth and shatters against the pavement.

You wipe a bit of spittle from your mouth against my shirt as you heave breaths into your lungs.

"My hero!" you exclaim over a fit of coughs. Cheeks flush, eyes shining, you give me the stupidest grin you can possibly muster and swoon comically against my body. "You saved me! How can I ever repay you?"

"You can stop publicly embarrassing me?" I offer. You look up at me and then at the small crowd of evening travelers who have gathered to watch this spectacle.

"Thank you," you say, turning away from me. For some reason, I miss your warmth. It's not because of the temperature; the summer heat is slowly disappearing into the dimming light. You begin to bow, low and sweeping your arm back like a street performer. "Thank you very much. We perform weeknights and you can even book us for travel."

I can only bury my face in my hands.

You turn back to me once the crowd has dissipated. "We should take this act on the road."\

"You could have died."

"Yes," you place a finger to my lips, leaning into me with a mischievous grin on your face, "but my knight in shining armor has rescued me from the clutches of an evil oxygen stealing food."

You lean in suddenly, your face inches from my own.

"You're acting strange. Almost like Akizuki."

You purse your lips and grin. "It's probably all the sugar."

"You're another person who can wield a simple food substance as a deadly weapon," I mutter. Memories of the aftermath of Akizuki's chemical experimentations on one poor (and probably mortally traumatized) Spinel Sun float to the front of my mind.

"Did you say something?"

"I… yeah," I figure perhaps catching you off guard might subdue you a little. It seems to work well enough when I need to distract Eriol's guardian. "I thought that you look exceptionally pretty tonight."

You flush, turning as red as your eyes, your face still inches from mine. "Pretty enough for you?" you counter. Some sort of intensity is blazing behind your fire-red eyes. I hope it's not the onrush of another sugar high.

My eyes dart left for a moment and then back to the right. No escape route. Plowing through you would bring the wrath of two magically enhanced teenagers onto my poor self. Besides, I'm not going to knock a girl over. Even Akizuki wouldn't deserve that… no matter what… erm… he is.

"Pretty enough and then some."

I think steam is starting to filter from your ears. "Really?" The mischievous grin has returned and I'm suddenly aware of your palms gently resting against the side of my head. I stand there slightly confused before my brain registers your expression and your actions with a slight pinging noise. "Pretty enough for this?"

You lean into me, pressing gently against my body. I feel the feather-light touch of your lips before you pull away. It's almost as if you were never there, that my brain had somehow imagined the entire incident. I place my fingers to my own lips for a moment and catch sight of your closed eyes. A serene look has come over your face as you open them to observe my reaction.

I don't know what I look like at the moment, but I imagine could be mistaken for a choking victim right now. My heart is hammering away in my chest like it's trying to escape my body.

"Not pretty enough?" you say glumly. "Syaoran wouldn't accept them either."

"The candy or the kiss?" I ask while my heartbeat calms itself down.

You look thoughtfully at me. "Neither, actually." You stoop down and pick up the box, nearly forgotten where you had dropped it. "Do you want one?" you ask shyly, extending the box in my direction.

"Isn't that what nearly killed you?"

"They're harmless," your shy demeanor turns to a fierce grin, "really, I promise they won't hurt you."

"Sure," I say with a shrug, accepting one of the little spheres of compressed sugar. A red ball drops into my hand and I pop it into my mouth. "You know, if you eat another one, perhaps I can get a chance to save you again."

"Fair enough." You tilt your head backwards and dump at least a dozen of the round orbs into your mouth. Seconds later, you begin to sputter wildly, waving your hands in the air.

_To finish…_

Well, I actually need to get back to work, but I thought I'd just pop this up on the site (and the live journal) to see how the response is for this.

I've got an update for Fallen planned sometime in September and an update for Covered in Rain sometime in the coming weeks. I'll be on vacation in August before college goes into swing again, so I thought I'd post the CiR update when that ends. And please… please… review Fallen Neo… it's suffering from a severe lack of fan attention as of late! _Author kneels and clasps hands together. _Please?

Also, I'm going to start updating Splinters now that I've done a preliminary thinking-over of the direction and how I want to do things. Be prepared for a few Spinel/Nakuru hijinx to the chagrin of a puzzled Eriol as well as plenty of Tomoyo/Eriol fluff. Finally, I've got a third CCS coupling!

_See you next update…_

_Ciuline Ihmenjo_


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